Enjoy the great outdoors

KRISTEN WATTS

December 02, 2015

Instinctively, people gravitate towards the outdoors when the weather warms up and Perth’s spectacular climate means there are plenty of opportunities for enjoying the State’s abundant and pristine parks, beaches, tracks, trails and open spaces.

But research shows today’s children spend much less time outside than they did in the 1970s and 1980s and health researchers say this is cause for concern.

Anecdotally, people who spend more time outside, provided they use appropriate sun protection, seem to have less incidence of chronic illness and it is now well documented that regular activity and exercise can provide protection against a range of life-threatening diseases.

And now new research from Curtin University has shown there’s even more reason to get outside and enjoy the sunshine.

Krassi Rumchev, from the school of public health, says spending time outside can actually help protect children from developing asthma.

Dr Rumchev said indoor allergens and pollutants played a significant role in triggering asthma attacks.

She said most exposure to environmental pollutants occurred by breathing indoor air which was contaminated with building materials and products.

“The home environment has changed enormously over the past 40 years with the introduction of soft furniture, carpets, air-conditioning and heating,” she said.

“All these things have resulted in warmer, more humid houses with less fresh air available and increased concentrations of indoor air pollutants.

“The air in our homes can be two to five times more polluted than the air outside.”

Alarmingly, she said, the air inside a brand-new home could be up to 100 times more polluted than the air outside.

Dr Rumchev said having inadequate ventilation, high temperatures indoors and high humidity indoors amplified the problem.

Telltale signs of poor air quality inside included stuffy air, moisture condensation on cold surfaces and mould in showers and bathroom walls.

Poor air quality could cause serious chronic health problems, particularly for young children.

“Indoor air quality is of particular importance to infants and children because they are more vulnerable to air pollutants because their immune system is still developing,” she said.

Dr Rumchev said research showed that outdoor play time was currently at an all-time low and it was vital that things turned around.

“According to a study, in the 1970s and 80s, our children spent more than two hours outdoors on weekdays and nine hours on weekends and by comparison, today’s children spend just over one hour outdoors on weekdays and about 4.5 hours outside on weekends.

“The concern is growing that children have lost connection to the natural world and spend less time outdoors, despite the known health benefits.”

She said a recent American study revealed a strong shift towards sedentary lifestyle and away from active play had been a major contributor to a documented decline in children’s health.

And a Harvard study had also recently clearly demonstrated that spending time outdoors also had discernible benefits for good health, reaching further than just reduced risk of asthma.

“It showed there was less time spent in front of television and computer and there was more time walking, bike riding and playing, less exposure to air pollution, more time spent with the family and increased levels of vitamin D,” she said.

“In fact, according to the National Environment Protection Measures, in general, air quality in Australian cities is good by international standards and air-pollutant concentrations are consistently below the NEPM standards.

“Sometimes they are outside of the standards but most often these incidents are associated with bushfires and/or managed burns.

“Perth enjoys good air quality most of the year and has 265 sunny days out of every 365 days. So let’s take our children and spend more time outside so that we can benefit from our beautiful natural environment.”

On the clock

Regular physical activity has important benefits for physical and mental health. It reduces the risk of many health problems, such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, anxiety, depression, musculoskeletal problems, some cancers and unhealthy weight gain. There is clear evidence that doing some physical activity is better than doing none and increasing amounts of physical activity provide even more health benefits.

If you do no physical activity, start by doing some, and gradually build up to the recommended amount.

Be active on most, preferably all, days every week.

Accumulate 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity or 75-150 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity, or an equivalent combination of both moderate and vigorous activities, each week.

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Health+Medicine is supported by a grant from Healthway (the WA Health Promotion Foundation) with the involvement of The National Heart Foundation (WA division), Cancer Council of WA, Asthma Foundation of WA, Australian Medical Association (WA), Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, FPWA Sexual Health Services, School of Population Health University of WA, Arthritis & Osteoporosis Foundation of WA and Diabetes WA.